President Igor Dodon is summoning the Supreme Security Council (CSS) for an emergency meeting in connection with the purchase of Avia Invest, the operating company which, according to the president, "took over Chisinau International Airport through a criminal decision of the former government".
"I ask the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure and all the state institutions to prepare the information related to this transaction, through which the company responsible for crimes perpetrated at the airport, including smuggling and escape of criminals from the country, was sold, and the lease for another 43 years was passed to another company," Igor Dodon wrote in a Facebook post.
According to the president, the meeting will be an occasion to discuss the risks for the state related to this transaction and solutions for returning the airport to the state management. "The law enforcement bodies will submit the information on the investigation of circumstances of the airport concession to a group of fraudsters, and the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure will inform CSS and the society about how Avia Invest has fulfilled its contractual obligations, including on the investment program, carried out including from the money collected from passengers," the president said.
The Chisinau International Airport’s operations and management were transferred to Avia Invest in November 2013, based on a public-private partnership. The concessionary company has committed to manage the airport for 49 years and invest in its modernization 250 million euros.
NR Investments Ltd, a real estate investment firm, set up in 2007 and registered in the Channel Islands, confirmed the acquisition of 95% of Avia Invest, a concessionaire of Chisinau International Airport. The contract was ratified on August 19, by representatives of Avia Invest and the sole beneficiary of NR Investments, Nat Rothschild.